Iván Fischer
Iván Fischer | |
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Background information | |
Born | 20 January 1951 Budapest, Hungary |
Occupation(s) |
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Iván Fischer is a Hungarian conductor and composer.
Born on 20 January 1951 in Budapest into a musical family of Jewish heritage,[1] Fischer initially studied piano, violin, cello and composition in Budapest. His older brother, Ádám Fischer, became a conductor in his own right. He moved later to Vienna to study conducting with Hans Swarowsky at the University of Music and Performing Arts, where he also studied cello and early music, studying and working as assistant to Nikolaus Harnoncourt. He also studied with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.
In 1976, Fischer won the Rupert Foundation conducting competition in London. He began thereafter to guest-conduct British orchestras such as the
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Fischer returned to Hungary in 1983 to found the
Other symphonic work and opera
In the US, Fischer held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for seven years. In 2006, he became Principal Guest Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C. In April 2007, Fischer was named the principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), after Leonard Slatkin stepped down as music director in 2008.[3] He held the title for two years.
Fischer was Music Director at Kent Opera in the UK from 1984 to 1989.[4] He was Music Director of the Opéra National de Lyon from 2000 to 2003. The Lyon production of Ariadne auf Naxos received the prize of Best Regional Opera Production of the Year given by the Association of French Music Critics. Other work in opera as a guest conductor has included a Mozart cycle in the Vienna State Opera, and productions in Zurich, London, Paris, Brussels, Stockholm and Budapest. He debuted in 2006 at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in a new production of Così fan tutte:
In 2006, Fischer was named Principal Artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. In February 2011, he was named Music Director of the Konzerthaus Berlin and Principal Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, effective with the 2012–2013 season, with an initial contract of 3 years.[5] In October 2016, the orchestra announced that Fischer is to stand down as its principal conductor after the 2017/2018 season,[6] at which close he concluded his tenure in the post. In October 2020, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra announced the appointment of Fischer as its next honorary guest conductor (honorair gastdirigent), effective with the 2021-2022 season.[7]
In 2011, Fischer was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society's Music Award and the Dutch Ovatie Prize. In 2013, he was named an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Compositions
Fischer's compositions are usually written for intimate groups of human voices and instruments. His "Spinoza-Vertalingen" for soprano and chamber ensemble composed on a 17th-century Dutch translation of
Recordings
Fischer signed an exclusive recording contract with
Since 2004, Fischer has recorded for
Awards
Fischer is a founder of the Hungarian Mahler Society, and Patron of the British Kodály Academy. He received the Golden Medal Award from the President of Hungary, and the Crystal Award from the
Invention
In response to the Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage, Fischer invented an acoustic face mask that featured plastic hands cupped around the wearer's ears. He said his masks "help to emulate church acoustics, with warmer undertones and clearer, sharper contours". Audience members said they improved the sound.[9]
References
- ^ Stephen Moss (12 August 2016). "How Iván Fischer found greatness with the Budapest Festival Orchestra". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Tim Ashley (27 May 2005). "Radical conduct". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ Tim Page (13 April 2007). "NSO Picks Fischer as Interim Maestro". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ Rupert Christiansen (18 May 2006). "My journey to the seductive heart of Così". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ Ulrich Amling (21 February 2011). "Ivan Fischer: Ein Mann für lange Beziehungen". Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ "Dirigent Iván Fischer verlässt 2018 Konzerthausorchester". Berliner Zeitung. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Iván Fischer benoemd tot honorair gastdirigent" (Press release). Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Rachel Donadio: "An Opera Fights Hungary's Rising Anti-Semitism: Ivan Fischer's Opera The Red Heifer Addresses Prejudice", The New York Times, 20 October 2013
- ^ Fenyo, Krisztina (14 September 2020). "Hungarian orchestra conductor invents 'music-enhancing' face mask". The Sydney Morning Herald.
Further reading
- Ross, Alex (2 June 2014). "Notes of dissent : in Hungary, Iván Fischer is shaking up music and politics". Letter from Budapest. The New Yorker. Vol. 90, no. 15. pp. 36–41. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
External links
- "Iván Fischer". Budapest Festival Orchestra. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015.
- Naxos Records biography of Fischer
- "Royal Philharmonic Society 2011 Award Winner, Iván Fischer". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012.
- Iván Fischer discography at Channel Classics Records